School breakfast – what can Germany learn from the US experience?
- 15.02.2014
- English Articles
- Theresa-Elin Precht
- Carola Strassner
- Tanja V. E. Kral
Peer-reviewed | Manuscript received: April 03, 2013 | Revision accepted: October 28, 2013
Introduction
School meals are increasingly relevant in Germany as a result of the reformation of the school system towards all-day schooling. The implementation of meals for school children is still in the early stages in this country. Those responsible must make important decisions and can use the experiences of other countries as a model.
The advantage of examining US experiences lies in the increasingly similar foods and dietary habits of both populations, especially among the younger generation. In particular, there are only a few differences and many similar trends in the breakfasts consumed by children and youths. In Germany, the number of ready-to-eat cereals, such as Cornflakes, is growing, whereas traditional German breakfasts, such as bread with spread/cold meats or muesli are increasingly declining [1]. In the US child nutrition programs, school breakfast is a fixed element in many schools, alongside lunch provision.
Summary
The German school system is currently undergoing significant changes, which may soon require longer school days for students. This has sparked an intense debate among German school officials about the potential need to provide students with school meals. Although this debate has focused mainly on school lunch so far, the potential need to also offer students school breakfast has recently begun to receive some attention. Other countries, such as the United States (US), have already implemented a national School Breakfast Program. The aim of this paper is to critically review the structure and main components of the national School Breakfast Program in the US and to highlight both its advantages and challenges. We end the review by discussing elements of the US experience with school breakfast that may be informative for the development of a similar program in German schools in the future. For example, we highlight innovative approaches for breakfast distribution and consumption that many US schools are currently testing. We also briefly discuss recent modifications of the nutritional standards. Lastly, we draw attention to the high degree of professionalism in the US school nutrition programs.
Keywords: dietary recommendations, school breakfast, School Breakfast Program in the United States, child nutrition programs
